The Illustrated Book of World Records by Bill Adler

About the Illustrated Book of World Records by Bill Adler, excerpts included of the bizarre and fun trivia found in it.

THE ILLUSTRATED BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS.

By Bill Adler. New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1974.

About the book: According to Adler, "Nothing is more exciting than reading about someone or something that is the fastest, the tallest, the biggest, the tiniest, or the 1st." And the Guinness Book of Records, which stands on that's what he has written, a juvenile version of its own and will prove entertaining and educational for parents as well as their children.

From the book: Most people need to sleep every night. One person holds the record for the most hours without sleep. How long did she stay awake?

In 1968, Mrs. Bertha Van Der Merwe went without sleep for 282 hours and 55 minutes. Mrs. Van Der Merwe was being watched by doctors in Cape Town, South Africa, as part of a medical experiment to see how long a person could actually stay awake.

The dog is man's best friend. Which dog lived the longest?

A Labrador gun dog lived with his master in England for 27 years and 3 months.

Has a cat ever lived that long?

A woman in England had a tabby that was 36 years old. His name was Puss.

In 610 A.D. monks in southern France shaped strips of dough to look like a little child's arms folded in prayer.

When were pizzas 1st made?

More than 2,000 years ago, when Roman soldiers added olive oil and cheese to Jewish matzos. Pizzas were 1st made in America about 45 years ago. Today pizzas are among our favorite foods, and there are more than 30,000 pizzerias in the U.S.